


Music Of Your Life

by bandastrophic (werelocked)



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band), One Direction (Band)
Genre: F/F, Genderswap, M/M, girl!Niall
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-03
Updated: 2015-06-17
Packaged: 2018-04-02 15:59:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4065940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/werelocked/pseuds/bandastrophic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's only ever been Niall.<br/>Even after his band takes off and she's two thousand miles away, she's all he ever needs.<br/>or<br/>Somewhat reverse AU where 5SOS gets famous before 1D does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, this story's about Ashton and Niall growing up together and getting famous.

“They’re right behind me, run!”

Emerging from his English classroom, Ashton didn’t expect to be crashed into by a blonde fully sprinting down the hallway.

Blue eyes stared at him before small hands were tugging him along. “Hurry up, let’s go!” He followed without complaint, laughing breathlessly. A hard shove bundled him into the janitor’s closet, another body landing on him a moment later. Ashton kicked the door shut, and the blue eyes above him crinkled at the corners.

“Hey Ash.”

“Niall,” he grinned, “what did you do this time?”

She barked a laugh, bright and loud. “What makes you think I did something?” she tried to ask innocently even as they heard footsteps thundering past them outside.

He just fixed her with a raised eyebrow until she cracked, still giggling.

“Fine, fine. I might have gone “Free Willy” on the lab rats from Ms. Perry’s class.”

“They’re not lab rats, they’re class pets.” Ashton groaned. “Niall she’s going to kill you.”

Niall scoffed. “All I’m hearing is ‘Oh Niall, you’re a genius. How could you leave me out of your great evil plan?’”

“Yeah, I’ll be thinking that when your evil plan gets you expelled.”

“Please. Nobody recognized me.” Niall grinned proudly, her braces flashing.

“Then can we get up now? You’re heavy.”

Niall rolled off him, knocking into some cleaning supplies. She clambered to her feet and offered him a hand to pull him up. Ashton poked his head out the door to check the coast was clear while Niall put his hoodie on to hide her outfit any witnesses might recognize.

In the tiny space, Ashton could hear her stomach growling loudly. “All this rescuing and escaping made me hungry. You wanna get out of here and get some Nando's?” She patted her belly.

Ashton laughed, shaking his head. “I’ve got a test next. And I’ve gotta pick up Lauren and Harry after. Mum’s working late.”

She tilted her head to the side, considering. “Alright I’ll stay for dinner. You don’t have to beg.”

“What? When did-”

Niall laughed again, just as brightly as before. “Gotta keep up, Ash. Might leave you behind.”

With a sigh, Ashton followed behind her down the hallway. He wondered how much time of his life he spent trailing after her.

Despite his friend’s whining, he left her at the door to her maths class while he headed to his final class, history. The instructor passed out exams five minutes in, but Ashton just couldn’t bring himself to concentrate. His first glance at the test already told him it was harder than his fifteen minutes of studying last night prepared him for. On top of that he was worried about Niall.

For as many pranks as the girl pulled, a surprising amount of them were successful. She was tiny and fast, and knew how to plan to use those advantages. When getting away wasn’t an option Niall blended into her surroundings - the abundance of blue-eyed blondes in Australia made it easy for her to merge into a crowd.

Her only downfalls were witnesses, and Ashton couldn’t stop thinking about someone ratting her out. Her last plan - putting tape on the bottoms of the mice in the computer labs - landed her in detention. Some kid caught a glance of her and told the closest professor, who punished her with a week's detention.

To say Ashton was relieved to see Niall waiting for him after the bell rang was an understatement. She grinned widely at him, immediately chatting away as they exited Richmond High School. The entire way to pick up Ashton’s siblings, she pitched ideas for her next great scheme. He gave input only occasionally since Niall was mostly using him to bounce ideas on.

As soon as they made it into the main office of the primary school a delighted shriek interrupted her. Ashton’s 9-year-old sister Lauren barely gave him a second glance before giving Niall a tight hug.

Harry hovered around Ashton, grabbing his hand in preparation for the walk home. Niall detached from his sister and gave the 8-year-old a bright grin. “Hey Harry.”

“Hi,” the small boy squeaked, and hid behind his big brother’s legs. The blonde girl only laughed and grabbed Lauren’s hand. The four of them left, starting the long trek to Ashton’s house in the middle of nowhere.

At the edge of town right before the main roads gave way to a maze of dirt back roads Niall froze. With the hand not guiding Lauren she tugged on Ashton’s sleeve, her eyes wide.

It took him a moment before realizing she was staring at the Nando's restaurant 100 feet away. From here the scent of frying chips and grilled chicken carried over to them and the green sign flashed in welcome.

“No, Niall.”

“Ashton please,” she whined. “I’m starving. I didn’t have any snacks in math, and it was _torture._ The professor smelled like tuna salad and it made it worse!”

His siblings laughed and Ashton snorted.

“When you’re in grade 11, don’t take Simons for maths.” Niall stuck out her tongue.

“Like they’re going to remember that.” he scoffed.

“Guess I’ll just have to remind you.” she winked at Lauren, who giggled and nodded. Even Harry nodded seriously, taking her advice to heart.

“Come on, Niall. We’re fifteen minutes from home.” With a dramatic groan the blonde kept on obediently. There were a few more grumbled complaints until they finally made it through the doorway to Ashton’s house.

The two children immediately headed to their rooms while Ashton and Niall made a detour to the kitchen. He dumped the contents of their backpacks on the table while she scavenged for snacks.

His mum only had one rule for Niall visiting on school nights, and that was they had to finish their homework before anything else. They worked quietly, with only the sound of Niall crunching crisps interrupting the silence. Ashton was halfway through revising a paper when he heard gravel crunching under tires.

“Break time?” Niall asked hopefully, her eyes lighting up.

Ashton nodded. “Yeah let’s clear out so mum can make dinner.” They shoved books and notebooks back into their bags and headed to Ashton’s room. “What have you got left?”

Niall plugged her iPod in his speakers and they both collapsed on his bed. “Been putting off maths.” she shrugged. “Finished everything else though.”

“I’d help, but I usually need Luke’s help with mine. I bother him enough at band practice until he does.”

“Luke… Is that the one who carries a football everywhere?” Niall crinkled her nose in confusion.

He shook his head. “Nah, that’s Calum. It’s been like six years, how do you still not know my friends?”

"I used to know them! The guys you played with in, what was it, Swallow the Goldfish? But then you replaced them with new kids a few months ago and I couldn’t be bothered to keep up. You don’t know my friends either.” Niall countered.

“Yeah, but mine are real.” He teased. “They don’t live on the internet.”

Niall pinched his arm. “Shut up, you know Lou and them are back home in Ireland. It’s not my fault they can’t visit. At least here I have Bressie and Grimmy - who are in our year - unlike your little year nines.”

“They’re just two years younger! Whatever. I’m cooler than those two anyway.”

“Duh, you’re my best friend.” Niall rolled her eyes.

Ashton poked her side. “Yeah. You’re mine too, yeah? Or whatever.”

She gave him a soft smile. “Course. Why else would I share my great pranks with you?”

With a scoff Ashton whapped her with a pillow. She gave an indignant squawk and made to pinch him again. With her face unprotected, Ashton whapped her again.

His mum found them half an hour later scuffling for a hold on the pillow. The sound of the door opening surprised them so much they tumbled off the bed as soon as Anne Marie stepped into sight.

“Oh hey, Ms. Irwin.” Niall panted.

She smiled. “Come eat. Can’t destroy the house on an empty belly.”

“Coming,” the two of them chorused. Ashton stood and went down the hall to Lauren’s room to remind her to set the table. When he passed by his door again Niall was just standing in his room with her back to him. The opening chords of a song were softly pumping from the iPod dock.

It was a rare sight, seeing her so still and quiet. In the six years since he met her Ashton was used to her constant movement. It seemed as if Niall thought time would run out if she didn't do everything at once. Even when speaking she often tried to get her thoughts all out at once, her Irish accent blurring her words into almost unintelligible babbling. He approached her quietly so as not to disturb her rare moment of reflection.

Niall looked over her shoulder and smiled at him. “I love this song.”

Ashton nodded. “Remind me to show you something, after.” He stayed with her until the song played out, just listening.

“Ashton, Niall I said it’s time for dinner!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I don't live in Australia so I have no idea how their school system works. All my information comes from Wikipedia, so if anything's wrong I'm sorry xx


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I forgot to mention in the last chapter but I changed the ages of all the members of One Direction. They're all still in the same age order I just took a year off their actual birth dates. [Louis was born in 1992 instead of 91, Zayn 94 instead of 93 etc etc] Come to think of it. it might not have been completely necessary but oh well.  
> Hope you guys like it!

Niall was a whirlwind that tumbled into his life much like she had today. In the middle of year six Ashton had been waiting for his friends in the music room after school when she burst in.

She scanned the room for a second before launching behind a drumset - the one he was using.

They made eye contact, matching expressions of shock on their faces but the door rattled before either of them could speak. The door flew open a moment later to reveal four boys with baseball hats on.

“Did some punk in a blue shirt come by here?” One of them barked.

Ashton had to stop himself from glancing at the blue hoodied figure crumpled at his feet. He grunted a negative, and they left.

“Thank you,” she let out a sigh of relief. Wiggling a little, she pulled herself free to stand as he stared at her. “Those wankers would’ve had my head.”

Staying silent, Ashton kept gaping. His brain was slowly trying to register what happened, but it was stuck on the blonde shock of hair and bright blue eyes of this girl he’d never seen before.

“What? Do I have something on m’face?” She scrubbed her cheek and glanced around for something to check her reflection.

“Who are you?”

“Right. I’m Niall. Who are you? Why are you hiding in the music room?” her eyes went wide. “Did you steal something too? Let me see!”

Ashton shook his head. “What are you on about? I can’t understand when you speak so fast.” The girl’s thick Irish accent took him by surprise and made it difficult to focus on her rapid topic changes.

Niall clapped a hand over her mouth quickly. “Sorry. My accent gets bad when I’m excited.”

 _It’s worse when you mumble through your fingers,_ Ashton wanted to say. “Yeah, It’s alright.”

“Let’s start over. Hi, I’m Niall.” she said brightly.

“I’m Ashton. And I’m not hiding here, I’m practicing.” He gestured to the drums.

Her eyes lit up. “Can you play?”

Ashton frowned. “I’m learning. My uncle’s trying to teach me but I’m not that good.”

“Play something for me.” Niall said eagerly. “I mean, you don’t have to. But, please?”

With a shrug Ashton turned back to the drum set. He tapped out one of the first beats he learned before moving into the rhythm his uncle taught him last week. It wasn’t perfect, but judging from the look in the other girl’s eyes she didn’t notice.

“Wow that was great.” She grinned. “I’m a musician too, yaknow.”

“What do you play?”

“Guitar. Me and some lads from home used to play at my old school. Well _I_ would play and we’d all sing and all that.”

“We should jam some time.” Ashton suggested. “When you’re not trying to hide. What’d you steal, anyway?”

“Oh right.” Reaching into her sweater pocket Niall pulled out a worn leather glove. “Just some stupid mitt. Wankers were talking shit to the girls playing footie so I nicked it to teach them a lesson.”

“Why-” The doorknob rattled again. Niall dove behind another cluster of instruments as three other boys walked into the room.

“Sorry we’re late, Ash.” The shortest of them stated.

“No worries, man.” Ashton smirked. The three of them made their way to their usual positions on either side of Ashton’s drums.

“But hey, there’s someone I want you to meet. Lads, this is Niall-”

The music room door slammed again, and Ashton realized he could no longer see the blonde girl hiding behind trumpets.

_What the hell?_

 

The next day Ashton went to the same music room to meet his friends as usual to find they were already there. The only thing out of the ordinary was an extra seat pulled up to his drumset, occupied by the tiny blonde girl he’d only met yesterday.

His friends were talking and laughing with her while she sat grinning and tuning a beat up acoustic guitar.

“Uh, hey guys.” He took his seat slowly, a little confused.

“Finally, mate. Niall came here looking for you so we said she could wait with us.” said his friend Ed. “She had her guitar so we got her to play something for us.”

“Yeah how do you know her dude? She’s brilliant. She can play better than all of us combined.” Ed’s older brother Blake stated.

Ashton smirked. “Really? I’ve heard she’s alright.”

Niall tried to glare at him but the bright smile didn’t leave her face. Her fingers didn’t stop plucking idly at the strings. Joining in on the drums, Ashton played a small accompanying melody to the chords she played.

The five of them kept on like that for almost two hours. Joey was the first one to realize how late it had gotten, remembering he had to get home for some chores and bolting out the door.

Ashton, Ed and Blake packed up and rearranged the room back for class the next day. “Sorry if we kept you, Niall. Didn’t mean for you to waste so much time with us.”

She shrugged. “I’ve got nothing to do.”

The two brothers said their ‘goodbyes’ and ‘see you tomorrows’ and then it was just Ashton and Niall.

“I guess I’ll see you later then.” Niall said.

Ashton hesitated by the door. “Yeah alright. See you later Niall.” He left the music room and was halfway down the hall before he changed his mind. Ashton found himself back at the music room before he made the conscious decision.

Niall was still sitting where he’d left her. “Let me walk you home?” 

That earned him another beaming smile. She gently placed her guitar back in its case at her feet. Ashton offered to carry it for her but she just shrugged the instrument over her shoulder.

“So I’m just alright?” She smirked.

Ashton laughed. “Nah you’re pretty good, kid. You should jam with us more often.”

That was the first night Niall ended up staying for dinner, and while neither he or his mom minded, it never occurred to Ashton then to ask why the girl didn’t seem to want to go home.

 

The rest of the Irwins were already digging in by the time Niall and Ashton made it into the kitchen. Ashton ruffled Lauren’s hair as he pushed past her to sit next to Harry. Niall sat down across from him, next to his mom. They each scooped large portions of barbecue chicken mac and cheese onto their plates while Harry and Lauren told mom about their day.

Niall took one bite and groaned. “This is delicious. Might be your best dinner yet.”

“You always say that.” Lauren giggled.

“Because it’s true.” Niall winked. “Your mum’s a brilliant cook.”

“Thank you, sweetie. And how was school for you and Ashton today?” Mom asked.

“Great Mama Irwin.” Niall beamed through a full mouth.

Ashton kicked her chair. “Don’t be rude.”

“Don’t abuse your guest.” his mom reprimanded.

“Why are you taking her side? It’s not my fault she doesn’t have manners.”

Anne Marie shrugged. “I like her more.”

Harry and Lauren both cracked up as his best friend stuck her tongue out at him playfully. The two of them finished eating and put their plates in the sink before slinking off to start their homework.

“Mum you can go rest. Niall and I can clean the kitchen.” Ashton assured her.

“Thank you sweetheart. Don’t forget to pack the leftovers in the fridge.”

Niall laughed. “Sure.” Between the two of them, they finished the rest of the pan. She rinsed the dishes and passed them to Ashton to stick in the dishwasher. 

“You better watch out, you might be getting replaced as the favorite child.” Niall teased as the two of them went back down the hall to Ashton’s room.

Ashton rolled his eyes. “She’s already got three children. Don’t know why she had to adopt you, too.” He turned Niall’s iPod back on before collapsing back onto his bed.

She climbed up next to him and flicked him on the cheek. Instead of teasing him in return Niall sighed. “I wish she really would.”

“You love your mom.” Ashton murmured, matching her tone. “You know she’s dying for you to come back.”

Niall didn’t say anything for a moment. She rolled over so her face was pressed into his pillow. “Figured Anne Marie would be a good stand-in until _Bob_ gets sick of me enough to let me go home.”

“What was today? Attempt #324 of trying to get sent home?” Ashton asked.

“Maybe.” Niall murmured. Then, softer, “it was her birthday.”

“We can share.” Ashton whispered. “You can use my mom as long as you need.”

“Thanks Ash.”

“No worries.”


	3. Chapter 3

When Ashton woke up Niall wasn’t there. He crawled out of bed and stumbled sleepily down the hallway to find her sitting alone the living room couch.

She hadn’t turned the lights on; Ashton could make out her silhouette curled up in the dark. Niall turned to look at him and her phone lit up when it didn’t have contact with her cheek. “Go back to sleep, Ash.”

He ignored her. “Is that Mama Horan?” he came right behind her on the couch and leaned his chest heavily against her back.

“Hello Ashton!” Maura Horan’s voice crackled through the line. Niall put her on speaker and lowered the volume so not to wake everyone else.

“Happy birthday!” They both cheered softly. They whispered the whole song together while she chuckled.

“Thank you darlings. But isn’t it a school night? You two should be asleep.”

Niall didn’t say anything for a moment. Ashton gently brushed the back of his hand along her cheek and nuzzled his nose in her hair. His comfort gave her the strength to speak again. “Didn’t want you to think I forgot your birthday. I miss you mum.”

With a sigh Maura cooed. “I know, love. But hey, it won’t be long until I see you again. How much longer until graduation?”

“We have a month left of grade 11. But there’s all of year twelve left.” her voice cracked. Ashton knew his best friend didn’t want to wait that long but wouldn’t dare complain out loud. She wouldn’t make it harder than it already was. He hopped over the back of the couch to sit beside her and Niall immediately leaned into him.

“You see? Time will fly by.” Maura stated with forced enthusiasm. “In the meantime take care of Ash, yeah? And be nice to your brother and your father.”

Niall made a face. “Yeah, yeah.”

“And Ash make sure my little girl stays out of trouble okay?”

“Oh of course.” Ashton said sarcastically, shooting Niall a wink. “Goodnight - er - afternoon, Mama.”

He waited until she and Niall whispered their goodbyes before pulling her completely into his lap. Niall stretched out so that she was basically lying on top of him in an attempt to get comfortable. Ashton shifted onto his side and then pulled her close so that she was tucked against his body. He stayed alert, waiting for her breathing to even out before going to sleep himself.

Right when he thought she finally was out he heard a raspy whisper. “I miss her, Ash.”

“I know, love.” he pressed a soft kiss to her shoulder. He heard a few sniffles and tightened his arms around her waist. With a heavy sigh Niall seemed to make a conscious effort to relax. All the tension left her body and she relaxed against him.

Still, Ashton waited to hear gentle, steady snores before he closed his eyes.

 

Niall’s parents divorced when she was twelve years old. Her older brother Greg had just turned eighteen.

Ashton knew that the two siblings had seen the split coming. Their lives had been a mix of tears and arguments that they didn’t understand for the better part of a year. Even the knowledge of their dad’s imminent plan to move to Sydney Australia “to be closer to work” wasn’t surprising. The two of them simply assumed they would stay in Ireland with their mother.

In a shocking series of events, Greg managed to “prove” Maura was less capable of caring for their children. That a lawyer such as himself would be able to support them and provide them with a healthy lifestyle, no matter that he was never home.

Niall told Ashton that Greg never had a problem with it. As old as he was at that time he would only have to stay with his family for a while longer before deciding what it was he wanted to do once he finished secondary school. Her brother had decided on a university nearby and still lived relatively close. He’d never shared Niall’s bond with their mother, or her desperate urge to get back to her.

As if that separation wasn’t bad enough, the move also tore Niall from her four best friends practically since birth. When Ashton met her a few months later in year six, he quickly learned how hopeless she’d felt. How she’d taken her friend Louis’ advice - cause enough trouble to get ‘kicked out’ of Australia - literally because she had nothing left to lose.

Even though Niall was 17, had alright grades, and also had Ashton now, her goal never changed. And even though it would break Ashton’s heart to lose Niall he’d be damned if he let anything stand in the way of helping her get back to friends and family he’d never physically met before. People he knew without a doubt loved her as much as he did.

 

Niall was still there when Ashton woke up the second time. He opened his eyes to find her facing him, and she pulled the blanket - _where did that come from?_ \- up to cover her face.

“Mama said we need to get up.” her voice was muffled. “School starts in an hour.”

They slipped into routine easily; Niall went to make sure Lauren and Harry are awake while Ashton showered and dressed quickly. Meanwhile, his siblings shared the other bathroom with his mom. Once he finished he made breakfast while Niall slid in the bathroom to get ready. 

Ashton had built up a supply of clothes for when Niall stayed over, though when she joined everyone at the table he noticed that she’d nicked another one of his tank tops. In retaliation he snatched her snapback off her head and jammed it on backwards, winking at her.

After everyone was clean and fed, Anne Marie dropped them off at school on her way to work.

“Hey mum it’s Friday, so I have band practice with the lads tonight.” Ashton reminded her. She nodded and waved goodbye to them before driving away.

“Thought you had work today.” Niall commented as they approached their lockers.

Ashton shook his head. “Had to change shifts for these two weekends. My car’s still in the shop. I’m bumming a ride with Calum after school to practice at his, then he’ll take me to pick it up when we’re finished.”

They packed what they needed in their backpacks and walked to their first class together, taking their seats next to each other by the back window. There were a few minutes to spare, and the teacher hadn’t arrived yet.

“Right, you’ll be with your boys all weekend.” Niall closed her eyes as if trying to remember something. “How much longer till your next show?”

“Next week.” Ashton grinned. “You’ll be there, right?”

Niall rolled her eyes. “Duh. But if you’re taking weeknight shifts, I might not be able to hang out until then.”

“Not even right after school?” Ashton whined.

With a smirk, she winked at him. “You’re not the only one with band practice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked it! Comments and kudos are always appreciated xx


End file.
